Kissing statue returns to Fla. city after repairs

Dec. 5, 2012
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In April, a car traveling on U.S. 41 in Sarasota, Fla., went across the center median and slammed into the 27-foot tall "Unconditional Surrender" statue in front of Sarasota Bayfront Park. / WTSP-TV, Tampa

by Eric Glasser, WTSP-TV, Tampa

by Eric Glasser, WTSP-TV, Tampa

SARASOTA, Fla. - A local landmark harking back to a nostalgic time that was damaged when a car crashed into it in April has found its way back to town.

The "Unconditional Surrender" statue, a replica of an iconic photo taken of a sailor and nurse kissing in Times Square at the end of World War II, was returned to the city's Marina Jack on Tuesday after $125,000 in repairs.

Officials estimate it will take about three days to fully get the staue back in place, as workers still must permanently bolt it down, and small cracks and seams still need to be welded, caulked and painted.

If anyone was happy to see the 27-foot aluminum casting back in town, it was likely the man who originally helped get it in place, Jack Curran.

Curran, a war veteran, ponied-up half a million of his own money in 2010 to place the aluminum statue at the marina.

"It's not so much about the statue, it's for what the statue represents," Curran said Tuesday as workers replaced the statue.

In April, a woman driving a Mercedes ran into the landmark and it had to be shipped to New Jersey for the repairs.

"One leg was completely broken in half, so they had to cast new pieces and weld them back in," said Jon Dowd, whose local studio is helping with the reinstallment.

Between the driver's insurance and a donation from a local nonprofit, the $125,000 patch project was completed.

Still, getting the statue back to Sarasota was no easy task. It weighs about 15,000 pounds, had to be split it into two pieces and carried on two huge flatbeds.

"It's something to have here. I mean... art is art," said Judy Warner, a part-time resident.

But there are those who feel less than romantic about the romantic pose. The statue has faced criticism from the beginning, from locals who question its artistic value.

Tuesday a handful of passers-by jeered and honked their horns while workers placed the statue back in its spot.

"Prima Donnas. Art Prima Donnas," said Dowd.

Still, a majority - especially veterans such as Wayne Gover, who is visiting from Ohio - seem to love the sculpture.

"It reminds us of what we went through and hopefully we'll avoid it in the future," he said.